Illusion of Normality
by Inali Grimalkin
Summary: The RRB have been given a second chance, when their paths collide with the PPG once again both groups will realize a few things, one of them being that no matter how hard they try, they will never be 'normal'. Eventual Reds, Blues and Greens.
1. Chapter 1

**A new story, this one has been buzzing around my brain for a while now and I decided to finally write it. This story is for Somwei as a thanks for her inspiration with her amazing story _Taking Responsibility _and also happened to be uploaded in time for her birthday.**

**Please note, this story is unbeta'd and was written on my phone. If you see any typos or mistakes let me know ^_^  
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><p>Brick couldn't remember exactly how it happened, it had been a long time ago and after all he'd been only six.<p>

He remembered Mojo had ordered them to do something and while he and his brothers were trying to follow orders the Powerpuff Girls had shown up. Business as usual he'd thought, but the moment he was at a disadvantage, down for just a second, Blossom had snapped some metal ring around his wrist.

He remembered punching her as hard as he could, but instead of seeing her go flying like he usually did she just stood there. Like she had barely felt it.

A panicked look to his brothers confirmed that the same had happened to them. He tried to take the ring off, but couldn't.

Later he would learn that the ring was meant to subdue his powers, leave him with only what a normal person would have. He would also learn that only Prof. Utonium could remove the ring.

At the time though he didn't care about any of that, and for the first time he had been scared.

Brick and his brothers were taken and tried at court. Because of their age they weren't put in prison, instead they were to spend the next twelve years in Juvie in attempt to rehabilitate them.

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><p>That had been ten years ago.<p>

Brick fiddled with his bracelet, bored out of his mind. He had already finished his assignments and had read every book the place had. Twice. Even the cook books.

Boomer was on the other couch reading, he had been in a Shakespere kick recently.

Butch, he figured was in the shops class working on some project.

Brick hated being in the detention centre, but he remembered very little else. He had been five when he was 'created' and six when he had been placed here, that only gave him a year of life in the real world. He had learned a lot though, and had begrudgingly come to appreciate it.

[Brick, Butch and Boomer report to the warden's office. That's Brick, Butch and Boomer to the warden's office.]

Brick groaned, but got up with his youngest brother following suit. As the two brothers walked they passed by their final sibling. Brick rolled his eyes when he saw that his middle brother looked to be trying to swallow the female inmate's tongue.

"Butch. Let's go." Butch pulled away from the girl and glared, but did as he was told. Even though they weren't the Rowdyruff Boys anymore Brick was still the oldest and their leader.

"How were you doing that?" Boomer asked once they had resumed the walk to the office.

"Please don't ask me to teach you, that would be gross beyond all reason."

"No, I mean how could you do that? Why didn't you blow up or grow?"

"You're kidding." Butch looked over at Brick. "He's kidding right?"

"The reason we grew was because of what Him did to us, the effects wore off years ago. And as for the reason why we won't blow up; when Mojo created us our chemical balance was unstable and the rush we got from being kissed but too much stress on our systems," the eldest explained. He had spent the past few years examining any anomalies that occurred because of the way they had been created. It had started out as a way to find a weakness in the Girls once they got out, but after a while it was just out of curiosity.

"You mean we've been able to do that this whole time?" Boomer burst out. "Well fuck!"

"Language, Boomer," the warden called from the open door. Boomer blushed as the three entered the office and sat down in front of the desk.

"So what's up Abs?" Butch drawled from his seat. Abigail Williamson was not the kind a person you'd expect to see as warden. She was short, had a pretty face and a fondness for unicorns. She had at least three figures in the room along with a sleeve of unicorns being chased by some red bull.

The Boys however knew she was just like those unicorns. Sweet and docile looking, but deadly. She had competed in strong man competitions and could hold her own in an arm wrestle against them.

She was also the closest thing to a mother they knew. When they first came to the centre she was the woman they loved to hate, but over time she became someone they hated to love.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, boys," she began slowly. "But your guardian has passed away."

"Guardian?" Brick frowned. "We don't have a guardian or parents. We're wards of the state."

"Not so. Mojo Jojo created you, thereby making him your legal guardian."

"So Mojo's dead?" Boomer said softly. "How?"

"From what I've been told the Chemical X in his system gave him super intelligence, but it also greatly shortened his lifespan. He passed away alone in his home on Monday."

"Wow, I never thought it would happen." Butch sank back in his chair.

"That wasn't the only reason I called you. I was going to save this till summer, but the mayor and I have reached the decision that you're ready."

"Ready for what?"

"To be back in the world. You've made great progress since you came here and it's time you were given another chance." The brothers sat in silence, dumbstruck by the news.

"Where will we go?" Brick asked, being the logical one. "We haven't got any money and the only 'guardian' we had is gone."

"Mojo's belongings were seized by the government, but they will be writing the three of you a substantial cheque based on what his tech is worth. As for a guardian, we're in the process of finding someone willing to take three superpowered teenage boys under their roof. In the event that no one steps forward, there is a back up plan."

"Wait, I must've misheard you. I thought you said 'superpowered'."

"No, you heard me correctly. The real test will be to see what you do with your freedom when powers come along with it."

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><p><strong>So, who do you think their new foster parent should be and why? Utonium? Miss Bellum? Miss Keane? Or maybe Abigail Williamson?<br>**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the reviews, favourites and alerts. I'm sorry this chapter took so long to come out, I originally wanted to have more, but it started to feel too long. The next chapter should be a shorter wait. I apologize in advance for my brief description at their training, fighting and action sequences are not something that come naturally to me, but I am working on it.  
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><p>A week or so passed. Brick spent most of the time either in his room or in the common room. His brothers were anxiously awaiting their freedom; Boomer wanted to fly again and Butch couldn't wait to feel invincible.<p>

Brick wasn't sure, he missed the strength, the flying and all his other powers, but he wasn't sure how being out in the world would be. They had a reputation, one he no longer cared to uphold, but one he knew would be held over his head regardless.

So when he and his brothers were called into the office again Brick lagged behind.

"So what's the deal?" Boomer asked falling into one of the chairs. Brick waited by the door and eyed the others. Professor Utonium he had expected, he was needed after all to remove the bracelet. Ms. Bellum, however, he was surprised to see. He supposed she was there as the mayor's representative.

"Boys, Ms. Bellum has stepped forward to take you in," Abigail told them nodding to the aforementioned woman. All three turned to look at her with varying degrees of surprise.

"Brick, Butch, Boomer," Bellum smiled at each in turn. "I'm so proud of your progress and I'd be honoured if you'd accept me as your guardian."

"You mean we have a choice?" Brick asked, his eyes darted back towards Abigail.

"In a manner of speaking. You'll stay with Sara and we'll see how it goes. If it's not working out, for whatever reason, we can look for other arrangements."

Brick nodded, and remained quiet after that. Preferring to listen as his brothers asked the professor questions while he removed their bracelets. When Utonium moved to take his Brick stopped him.

"I'd like to keep it, if you don't mind." The professor nodded and Brick tucked the deactivated bracelet into his pocket. Even though it had been so long ago he remembered the feeling of having so much power; he was back to walking on eggshells.

"So what d'we do now?" Butch asked clenching and unclenching his fists while Boomer experimentally hovered next to him.

"Now you can go and pack your things," Abigail told them. "At the end of the week we'll meet up again to fill out the paperwork so you can receive your inheritance and have Sara become your legal guardian."

"I'll be getting back to my girls now," Utonium said packing away the tools he had used to remove their bracelets. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other sooner or later. Ladies, boys." Brick watched the man go, followed by Bellum who said she'd be in the lot getting her car ready.

While his brothers flew out of the room, claiming that flying was like riding a bike, Brick lingered.

"Something wrong, Brick?" Abigail asked, getting up from her desk. The Rowdyruff looked at the woman who, despite barely making it to his shoulder, he had looked up to for a long time.

"It just feels strange to be leaving."

"Surely you don't want to stay in the Townsville Youth Detention Centre?"

"No, I want to see and experience the world, it's just-" he sighed, trying to find the words to explain himself. Despite how well read he was, putting his own emotions into words wasn't his strong suit.

"It's just that this is all you know," she finished. To Brick's surprise she pulled him into a hug. After getting over his initial shock he delicately put his arms around her, wishing he didn't have super strength so that he could properly hug her back.

"You're the closest thing to a mom I've ever known."

"I'll miss you too, my boy," Abigail sighed, finally pulling away. "We'll keep in touch, I promise."

Brick nodded and headed back to his room on foot, he didn't feel like flying.

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><p>Brick looked out the window as the detention centre faded out of sight. Since he was the 'oldest' he had gotten shotgun leaving his brothers in the back.<p>

"So where do you live Ms. Bellum?" Boomer was asking.

"You boys can call me Sara, and I live in a condo downtown. You'll have to share a room for a bit until I can find a bigger place. That alright?"

"It's fine, we did at the centre," Butch replied. Brick glanced at his dark haired brother in the rear view mirror, he had been excited to learn they were leaving the centre, but after he came back from packing his belongings something about him seemed off.

The rest of the drive was spent with Boomer and Sara talking, but Brick didn't pay attention to what they said, he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts.

When they finally made it to their 'new home' Brick couldn't help but appreciate how it looked. Sara lived on the top floor of a very expensive looking building and everything inside said the same thing; taste and money.

She showed them to the room they'd be sharing, it was a nice size with three single beds and a dresser.

"I'll let you boys get settled," Sara told them from the door way. "Any requests for dinner? I'm ordering in."

"Pizza?" Boomer asked, flopping onto the bed closest to the window.

"Sure,what do you want on it?" Each of the boys gave her various toppings and she nodded. "I'll let you know when it's here."

Brick listened to her footsteps fade away and heard her dial the phone. There was one thing he needed to get used to; super hearing. He already felt a headache coming on.

"So, what's with you guys?" Boomer asked dumping out his backpack. Years of living in Juvie left them with very few belongings.

"Just feels weird being out," Brick shrugged and proceeded to unpack his own bag.

"Yeah," Butch agreed. "Living with Sara's gonna be so weird."

"Why? She's nice enough."

"Aside from the fact that she was one of the people that put us in the centre to begin with," Brick muttered thinking up the first reason he could for not liking the woman.

"But you said it was good for us. You said that if we hadn't we'd still be Mojo's lackeys and on the most wanted list," Boomer argued. He shook his head and sighed, pulling open the bottom drawer of the dresser. "Just give her a chance."

"Fine." Brick nudged Boomer out of the way and put his own clothes in the top drawer. _We'll see how things go,_ he told himself._ Maybe things'll be alright._

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><p>"Boys!" Sara called a little while later. "Dinner's here!" Butch was first out of the room, with Brick and Boomer tied for second.<p>

Brick had to admit, he was impressed; Sara had remembered the toppings they had requested and had several cans of soda on the kitchen table. He thought back and realized that Sara was pretty nice, he didn't have much to go on, but he really couldn't find anything about her to not like.

The only thing that annoyed him was her insistence on handling everything. She had opened the car door and both doors in the building, she had also put out paper plates, which Brick could tell was not a normal thing for her. He supposed she didn't trust that they could control their strength yet.

As Boomer accidentally crushed the soda can she had handed him, Brick decided she was probably right.

"Sorry," Boomer mumbled, carefully getting a roll of paper towel and cleaning up the mess.

"It's alright," she said easily. "It'll just take some getting used to. So what do you boys plan on taking at school?"

"Probably the same classes we were taking at the centre," Brick shrugged, taking his own drink and opening it carefully.

"There are more electives at Townsville High that are available, I'll pick up a booklet on my way home from work tomorrow so you boys can look."

"Is there an automotive class?" Butch asked, speaking up to Sara for the first time.

"I'm not sure, I _think_ so." The green Ruff nodded and went back to eating his fourth slice of pizza. Overall dinner wasn't as bad as he deep down wanted it to be, but no matter how hard he wanted to embrace the new life that was being offered, he just couldn't.

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><p>That night the entire condo, and probably a number of their neighbours, were woken by an unbearably loud noise. Brick could see the windows shake, on the verge of shattering.<p>

It was then that he remembered; Boomer snored. With a groan he threw his pillow at his 'youngest' brother's head, startling him awake.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" Boomer demanded, sitting up and throwing the pillow right back.

"You're snoring, dumbass," Brick snapped catching the stuffed missile. "Nearly shattered the fucking windows."

"You make it sound like I can control it!"

"Can you both shut the hell up?" Butch cried, turning over and covering his head with his pillow. "Some of us are trying to fucking sleep!"

"Boys!" Brick and Boomer turned while Butch grumbled about how no one respected the need to sleep. "I know it's been a long time since you've had your powers," Sara sighed, her hair a mess and wearing flannel pajamas. "Maybe you should spend the next week regaining that control. Boomer... You can't help your snoring, just prop yourself up a bit and try to sleep on your side, okay?"

"Yeah... Okay," Boomer agreed, bowing his head.

"Brick?"

"I'll find a suitable place for us to train tomorrow morning."

"Good. Now, follow your brother's example and go back to sleep."

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><p>One of the great things about Townsville was they seemed to have a plethora of abandoned warehouses on the outskirts of town. Maybe because of all the monster attacks.<p>

The Boys flew out, flying being the one thing that had come back naturally to them. It really was like riding a bike. They landed at the warehouse the furthest away from the inhabited areas as possible Brick shrugged out of his hoodie and draped it over the fence.

"So, what do we do now?" Butch asked. Brick scanned the area, trying to decide.

"We'll focus on strength first, the goal by the end of the day is to be able to punch those windows and not break them."

That task was no where near as easy as it sounded. They started with the thick, cement walls and worked their way down. A lot of holes were put into the building before they finally felt they were at the point they could try the windows.

The first three or four broke, but by nightfall they finally were able to hit them and only have the glass crack a bit. Not perfect, but it was progress.

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><p>The Boys continued their training for the rest of the week, strength first and then moving on to relearn what triggered their eyebeams and special abilities. They weren't able to fix Boomer's snoring problem though and as a result by Friday the blue Ruff was exhausted from having to sleep sitting up or not at all.<p>

Brick was going over his class schedule, he had chosen to take cooking as an easy credit. None of the other classes really appealed to him, though he did have a free period where choir was that he was tempted to fill.

Boomer was trying to do the same, but he kept dozing off. He was startled awake when Butch stormed in.

"I can't do it," he exclaimed. "I have tried, but I just can't do it."

"Do what?" Boomer asked, rubbing his eye.

"Live with Sara, I mean I tried, dude, seriously-"

"What's the problem?" Brick asked, looking up from his things.

"I've jerked off to her!" Butch explained. "She was in three issues of Playboy and I'm sorry, but I can't live with her trying to mother me with that in the back of my mind!" Brick nodded, he had noticed Butch was pretty uncomfortable when Sara was around.

"I'll talk to her and see if we can make other arrangements."

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><p><strong>That concludes chapter two. I'm wondering if I should bump the rating from T to M. There will be some swearing since teenagers use some awful language and I know the Boys are the type to curse a lot. I haven't decided on if there will be anything else that toes the line between T and M though.<strong>

**The next chapter we will see their new, permanent, home as well as their first day of school. Anyone want to place bets on how The Girls will react?  
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	3. Chapter 3

**I am so sorry this took me so long, I hope you enjoy.  
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>"Boomer, wake up," Brick said giving him a shove. The blue Ruff yawned and rubbed his eyes.<p>"Are we there?" he asked, straightening up. He was so tired that any moment he was sitting still he dozed off.<p>

"Yes, we're here," Miss Bellum replied. She popped the trunk and the Boys piled out of the car to grab their bags.

"Sorry it didn't work out," Boomer told her.

"It's alright, just wasn't meant to be." Boomer smiled softly at her; he felt bad, it was obvious she wanted kids.

"Damn," Butch breathed. "This is our new home?" Boomer turned to see what his brother was so impressed about and his jaw literally dropped.

He stared at the three story Victorian home in awe, it was the type of house that when he was a kid he would have considered 'creepy' or 'haunted', but the owner took amazing care of it.

There was an archway they passed through to get onto the porch, which wrapped around the front and one side of the home. On the second floor there was a small balcony that was enclosed in latice work, like the arch, with a circular window for decoration.

Sara rang the doorbell and the boys waited with baited breath to see who owned such a home.

"You're a bit late Sara, have trouble finding the place?" Abigail asked when she opened the door. Brick seemed to have frozen in shock, while Butch had the same huge grin Boomer wore.

"It wasn't too bad, I just didn't realize how far out of the main town you lived."

"No worries, I was just about to make something to eat, would you like to stay a while?"

"I would, but the Mayor needs me," she turned to the three teens. "We'll be seeing each other and I hope you enjoy your first day at school."

Boomer waved as Sara drove away then turned back to Abigail who was smiling up at them.

"Well, come on in boys," she said stepping back. "I'll give you the tour and there's a room for each of you."

First she showed the living room, which was comfortable and looked lived in, but even Boomer could tell the leather couch and armchairs weren't cheap, nor was the large flat screen.

The kitchen had no table, just a large island with stools. She boasted double ovens and a large fridge and pantry.

"I bake for the holidays so I need the counter space," she commented while Brick examined the ovens.

"You're loaded, Abs," Butch teased. "What the hell are you doing working as a warden for Juvie?"

"The home, along with the money, was my inheritance when my parents died," she explained. Pausing her tour as they reached the top of the stairs. "I was working before that, and more importantly I like my job."

The second floor had three bedrooms and a large bathroom. As she passed each door she indicated which room was who's.

"You know I snore, right?" Boomer asked, try and failing to mask his concern. To his surprise Abigail just smiled.

"You don't need to worry about that. My great-grandfather built this house long before there were any Powerpuff Girls to fend off monster attacks. With each generation my family has added to its indestructiblity. There could be a full out nuclear war and this house would likely remain standing."

"Must've cost a fortune to have all that done," Brick commented.

"And a fortune is what we had. The walls are lined with titanium and all windows are shatter and bullet proof. I've got a special treat in the basement too."

The top floor held the master bedroom, another bathroom and the study. The study was filled with books that Boomer could tell Brick was just itching to read along with a few plays that captured his own interest.

Butch's attention wasn't grabbed until Abigail showed them the basement.

"My pride and joy," she beamed. One wall was entirely mirrored and there was a ballet bar for stretching. The floor was gleaming hardwood and in a separate area was a gold mine of work out equipment. The basement had a sauna and shower of it's own, but the true icing on the cake was the training sim room.

"Abs, this is fucking boss!" Butch exclaimed, taking in the spotless room.

"Language, Butch," she admonished. "I use it to keep my reflexes sharp, I'm not sure how much use it will be since you have your powers back, but I'm sure you'll figure out how to rework it into something more suited to your abilities. You're free to use anything you like, this is your home now too. Go unpack your things and meet me in the kitchen for lunch."

The moment Boomer was in his room he noticed the difference. He couldn't hear the hum of traffic anymore, he couldn't even hear Butch in the next room. A smile spread on his face and he collapsed onto the bed, not stirring again until dawn.

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><p>"Boomer, wake up." He groaned and rolled over in response.<p>

"Boomer, it's your first day at school and I will not have you be late. Now up."

"God, you're a slave driver, Abs," he teased, sitting up. "Okay, I'm up." Abigail eyed him for a moment then nodded.

"I'm making breakfast now, so hurry up. I'm driving you boys on my way to work." She eyed him suspiciously for a moment before nodding and exiting the room.

Boomer yawned and began to get dressed. His wardrobe was limited, another part of life in Juvie, but he managed to assemble a suitable 'first day' outfit; fitted blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a light blue short sleeved button up.

Heading downstairs he found his brothers already eating. Butch wore black jeans, a green t-shirt that Boomer privately believed was too tight on him and a studded belt. Brick, was a mix between Butch's style and his own. He wore jeans with a silvery blue wash to them, a dark grey t-shirt and his favourite red hoodie. Brick's hat was missing, but Boomer noticed it a moment later hanging off his chair.

"The cheques from Mojo came in," Abigail told them, setting a plate in front of Boomer and then taking her own. "I'm hoping you boys will be smart and put them in the bank to save for college."

"You know we don't have bank accounts," Butch said between bites. "Besides, we need clothes and stuff."

"We can set up accounts on saturday, I'll make an appointment," she said brushing his concern aside. "As for 'clothes and stuff', as your guardian it is my job to provide those for you. We can go to the mall after the bank. Clothes will be the focus, but I'll buy you each something special, so choose wisely." The Boys nodded and finished eating then headed out to the car.

Boomer watched the buildings go by, nervous but excited about finally having a chance to be normal.

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><p><strong>Reviews = Karma<strong>


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